Distance at redshift z=0.666

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the cosmological implications of redshift, specifically at z=0.666, within the context of the ΛCDM model. Participants explore the proper distances and light travel times associated with galaxies at this redshift, as well as the calculations involved in determining these distances and the effects of cosmic expansion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that the light from a galaxy at z=0.666 takes approximately 6.31 Gyr to reach us, corresponding to a distance of 8.10 Gyr according to certain cosmological calculators.
  • Others propose that the current proper distance for z=0.66 is about 6.3 GLy, suggesting discrepancies in the values provided by different calculators.
  • One participant mentions that the emission event occurred 6.3 Gyr ago from a proper distance of about 4.5 GLy away, raising questions about how current distances are calculated.
  • There are discussions about the implications of an accelerating universe on the distances and times involved, with one participant estimating a current distance of perhaps 5.6 GLy and a travel time of around 10 Gyr for signals emitted today.
  • Some participants challenge the use of a constant Hubble constant (H0) in calculations, arguing that H changes significantly over time and must be integrated appropriately.
  • There are references to various calculators and methods for determining distances, with some participants noting that modern calculators may yield different results than older graphical representations.
  • One participant mentions the potential for using conformal diagrams to visualize light signals, although they note the complexity involved in deriving specific distances and times from such diagrams.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the proper distances and light travel times associated with redshift z=0.666, with no consensus reached on the calculations or the implications of using a constant Hubble constant. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives presented.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include potential discrepancies in the values derived from different calculators, the dependence on the choice of cosmological parameters, and unresolved mathematical steps regarding the evolution of the Hubble constant over time.

  • #31
PeterDonis said:
He means that what is posted in other forums should stay in other forums. If there's a problem with it, there's no point in discussing it here since the person who posted it in the other forum is not here to discuss it with.

If you are confident that the calculation you posted in post #26 is correct, then you should post it as coming from you, not some random person on some other forum, and you should be prepared to defend it on your own.
But don't you want to give credit to an idea/analysis you are using? I certainly would want to give such credit.
 
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  • #32
PAllen said:
don't you want to give credit to an idea/analysis you are using?
If it's a valid reference, sure. But some random person's post on some other forum is not a valid reference.
 
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  • #33
PeterDonis said:
If you are confident that the calculation you posted in post #26 is correct, then you should post it as coming from you,
##1+z_1=\dfrac{a_1}{a_0}=a_1=1.666##

The radial component of the FLRW metric for a flat universe is:

##ds^2=-c^2 dt^2+a^2 dr^2##

For light ##ds=0## from which we obtain:

##dr=\dfrac{c \, dt}a##

##H=\dfrac{\dot a} a ##

##\dfrac{da}{dt}=H \, a##

##dr=\dfrac{c \, da}{a^2 H}##

From the Friedman equation for a flat universe and ##\Omega_R=0## we obtain:

##H=H_0 \sqrt{\dfrac {\Omega_{M_0}}{a^3} + (1-\Omega_{M_0)}}##

##\displaystyle r=\dfrac c{H_0} \ \int \dfrac{da}{\sqrt{\Omega_{M_0} a + (1-\Omega_{M_0}) a^4}}##

For the case at hand:

##\displaystyle d_a=\dfrac c{H_0} \ \int_1^{a_r} \dfrac{da}{\sqrt{\Omega_{M_0} a + (1-\Omega_{M_0}) a^4}}=6.28## Gly

The above would mean that if we were to now emit a signal towards a galaxy that is now at 6.28 Gly, that signal would be received in that galaxy at a redshift of z=0.666.
 
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  • #34
Halc said:
For a redshift of z=0.66, I get a current proper distance along a line of constant cosmological time of about 6.3 GLy, [...]. Coincidence that 6.3 current distance is nearly the same as the time it took to get here.
For an expanding universe, it is impossible for the current proper distance to coincide with the time taken for the signal to arrive here. Precisely because of the expansion, the current proper distance is necessarily greater than the path traveled by the light.
 
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  • #35
Jaime Rudas said:
Precisely because of the expansion, the current proper distance is necessarily greater than the path traveled by the light.
Exactly so. So my labeling it as coincidence was more "not enough time for the two values to differ much".

My chart is also misleading since it seems to be older than the discovery of dark energy. Look at the v=c/2 worldline in my post4. It curves left the whole way, but after about half the age of the universe, dark energy became dominant and that worldline should start curving right, putting the current proper distance to it far larger than what this old picture shows.
 
  • #36
Halc said:
Exactly so. So my labeling it as coincidence was more "not enough time for the two values to differ much".
Yes, but 6.3 Gyr isn't something like a "short time", even on cosmological scales.

Halc said:
My chart is also misleading since it seems to be older than the discovery of dark energy. Look at the v=c/2 worldline in my post4. It curves left the whole way, but after about half the age of the universe, dark energy became dominant and that worldline should start curving right, putting the current proper distance to it far larger than what this old picture shows.
No, it isn't. The curve marked as v=c/2 isn't a world line, but a curve that denotes the behavior of the Hubble parameter H, which is monotonically decreasing. The world lines are shown on the left side of the graph, where in the world line marked as ##r_0=8## Gly a slight change in curvature can be noticed about 6 Gly ago.
 
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  • #37
Jaime Rudas said:
Yes, but 6.3 Gyr isn't something like a "short time", even on cosmological scales.


No, it isn't. The curve marked as v=c/2 isn't a world line, but a curve that denotes the behavior of the Hubble parameter H, which is monotonically decreasing.
I'm reading it all wrong then. OK, the worldlines of comoving objects are the blue dashed ones on the left.

That leaves the dash-dotted black one to the left labeled simply 'horizon'. It seems to be the particle horizon, the 'size of the visible universe' at any given time, meaning that line intersects the lower "today's horizon" worldline at t=today.

I was hoping they'd put the event horizon on that chart somewhere, but it's not there.
It should start out lower than the 'today's horizon' line, but curved more, crossing the particle horizon line 10 Gyr ago and ending up today about where that r=16Gyr worldline is.

Would also be nice if they labeled the scalefactor on the vertical axis rather than just putting years there twice.
 
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  • #38
Halc said:
I'm reading it all wrong then. OK, the worldlines of comoving objects are the blue dashed ones on the left.
Yes, that's why I find Tamara Davis's graph in her doctoral thesis much clearer:

1727649317122.png

Halc said:
That leaves the dash-dotted black one to the left labeled simply 'horizon'. It seems to be the particle horizon, the 'size of the visible universe' at any given time, meaning that line intersects the lower "today's horizon" worldline at t=today.
Yes, that's exactly what you can easily see in the Davis graph if you compare the particle horizon curve with an imagined dotted black line corresponding to z~1100.
Halc said:
I was hoping they'd put the event horizon on that chart somewhere, but it's not there.
It should start out lower than the 'today's horizon' line, but curved more, crossing the particle horizon line 10 Gyr ago and ending up today about where that r=16Gyr worldline is.

Would also be nice if they labeled the scalefactor on the vertical axis rather than just putting years there twice.
All that and much more you can see very clearly in the Davis graph.
 

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